DYNASTIC TROUBLES. 71

Andronicos, to whom, on the outbreak of tlie troubles dur- Previoiis his- i"g ^^^^ reign of the boy successor of Manuel, the acter"of Au-"^' pooplo loolvod for rcliof froiTi the rule of the cni- drouicos. press and her lover, was a cousin of Manuel, being the son of Isaac, the younger brother of John. During the reign of Manuel he had been a troublesome subject. At the commencement of his reign Manuel and Andronicos had been boon companions. They were of about the same age. But a quarrel broke out between them as early as 1151, in conse- quence of the nomination of John Comnenos to the dignity of protosebastos. Andronicos at once intrigued against Man- uel, and treated with the King of Jerusalem, the Sultan of the Seljukian Turks, and the King of Hungary.' The at- tempt of Andronicos was discovered. He was deprived of his duchies of Branitzova and Belgrade," and was imprisoned in a palace. His freedom of manners, his high spirit, and his handsome person and great strength had made him popular with the people of the capital. He grew in favor with them in consequence of a series of adventures, which recall those of the young pretender to the throne of England. It would be difficult to name a prince who could boast of more escapes, or who had succeeded in making himself more popular alike with men and women. His noble presence, and, above all, his won- derful powers of persuasion, won him admirers everywhere. Yet he was a worthless hypocrite. He was heartless, sensual, and cruel. Skilled in military exercises, lie was destitute of courage, and as a general was a failure. Capable of attaching men and women to him, he sacrificed them whenever his in- terest no longer required their services. — His adventures began early in the reign of Manuel. He His advent- ^^^^ capturcd by the Sultan Mahsoud. On his re- "®*" turn from captivity his cousin Isaac and he had an altercation in presence of the emperor, in which the first drew his sword and attempted to kill Andronicos, and was only saved by the personal intervention of Manuel, who himself received a wound, the marks of which he bore till his dying

• Cinn. iii. 124. ' Nicetas, p. 133. Sovkik}jq dpxrjs (ipaviTKo^Tjg.